Our King and Gentoo Penguins at Ski Dubai reside in the most sophisticated habitat in the UAE.

Our King and Gentoo Penguins at Ski Dubai reside in the most sophisticated habitat in the UAE. The enclosure consists of several areas including a private pool, a top deck area with rocks, and a private holding area. For guests who will be doing the Penguin Encounter, there is a possibility to see the penguins through a glass wall, as they will reside in their private pool or on the top deck. The private holding area will not be visible directly to public.

Our kitchen is fully equipped to provide daily fish banquets for the Penguins, and if needed, a hospital facility is available. The penguins are free to move around the private pool, top deck and their private holding area.

More about Penguins

Size:

61-76 cm (24-30 inches)

Weight:

5,5 - 6,4 KG (12-14 lbs)

Life Span:

15 - 20 years old

Diet:

Primarily small fish species and krill

Gentoo Penguins

They are the third largest penguins, following the Emperor and King Penguins. They are actually birds and they lay eggs!

They have a white "cap" extending from their eye to eye over the top of their heads. There are more than half a million Gentoo Penguins living in the wild. They use nesting materials ranging from pebbles and molted feathers in Antarctica to vegetation on sub-antarctic islands to build their homes.

Size:

94 cm (37 inches)

Weight:

13,5 - 16 KG (30 - 35 lbs)

Life Span:

15 - 20 years old

Diet:

Primarily fish and Squid

King Penguins

They are the second largest penguins, following the Emperor Penguins. They too are birds and they lay eggs!

They have a black head, chin, and throat, with vivid orange, tear-shaped patches on each side of their head. Their total population is estimated to be around 2.23 million pairs and is increasing. They walk slowly and do not hop.

Peng Friends

Our Snow Penguins here at Ski Dubai are ambassadors for their species from all over the world. You can help out too by visiting us and becoming an official Peng-Friend here at Ski Dubai. All Peng-Friend funds will support our penguin conservation, education and research partners.

To receive a Monthly Newsletter of your favorite penguin at Ski Dubai, just select a penguin below and sign up. We will keep you updated with the latest news and videos of your favorite Peng-Friends!

Amsheet

Gender

Female

Amsheet is one of our younger girl King Penguins and she's very much a princess. She was named by HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum after a place in Lebanon. She is a calm penguin, and she's the only King Penguin who always has her mind on climbing to the highest point in the area, be it a snow pile or a big rock, she conquers all.

Bubbles

Gender

Male

Like many other types of birds, penguins love shiny things. Bubbles was given her name as she really likes it when we blow bubbles for her, she just loves anything shiny! Out of all the penguins, Bubbles has a more insecure personality and she always loves having another penguin close to her, which is usually her husband Paul.

Cuddly

Gender

Female

Cuddly might not be our youngest King Penguin, but she definitely seems to be the 'smallest' King. Being one of the youngsters, her colors have not fully developed yet and her 'crown' is more yellow than orange. Cuddly loves spending time with her trainers, and picks out favorites as well! She is a very smart and inventive girl. During training sessions she always tries to look for new ways to surprise you.

Gummy

Gender

Female

Gummy is another girl who joined the colony in January 2014 and she has a little energetic 'skip' in her walk. Gummy loves it when her trainers throw krill in the water, and she loves spending time in our 'splashpool' in the Penguin March Area in the Snow Park.

Hadi

Gender

Male

Hadi is the oldest penguin in our colony. He is usually very calm and quiet as to why he is called Hadi, meaning 'calm or quiet' in Arabic, although he does like to swim a lot. Most trainers say Hadi has got the most beautiful eyes of all the penguins as they're very light colored.

Jumeirah

Gender

Male

Jumeirah was one of the few penguins who came over to connect with trainers right away, only within hours of arriving at Ski Dubai. He instantly wanted attention, and he was also called 'the buddy' because of it. Jumeirah was named by Mr. Majid Al Futtaim. Jumeirah is usually not the first penguins to go out and explore new things, he prefers to 'follow the colony'.

Krishma

Gender

Female

Krishma also joined Ski Dubai in January 2014. Krishma learns very fast, but likes to perform at her own pace. She loves to swim in the main pool, interacting with people looking at her through the glass. She'll be watching you more than you're watching her! She's the only penguin with a double identification band, as we ran out of colors! This way she's easily recognized.

Lollipop

Gender

Female

Lollipop is an extremely sweet Gentoo Penguin girl, therefor the name Lollipop. She almost walks 'carefully', just like a princess. She has a very patient and understanding personality and she is one of our star-penguins. Her being so calm and understanding though makes for the other Gentoo girls to sometimes tell her off,to make them feel they are the boss.

Lucy

Gender

Male

When Lucifer arrived in Ski Dubai he was a very naughty boy! There seemed no other way to describe his personality than to name him Lucifer. He loves to steal fish and be naughty with the other penguins. Since he's been at Ski Dubai, he has changed a lot and he turned out to be a very smart boy that is always active and always looks for new challenges.

McFatty

Gender

Male

Even though McFatty is not the oldest penguin, he surely is the most dominant one. He likes to boss the other penguins around and often claims the attention of trainers, not letting other penguins come close to 'his' trainers and 'his' guests. He was named McFatty because he had problems coming out of his egg when it hatched, he was so fat!

Mitty

Gender

Female

Mitty is our 'smallest' Gentoo Penguin, although she has a big personality. She loves to sit on her self-proclaimed rock that she wouldn't leave for any other penguin to stand on. When penguins say 'I love you' they bow to each other and produce a hissing sound. Mitty loves saying 'I love you' to everything and everyone, especially when her trainers say Hi to her. Sometimes she even gets jealous when other Gentoo Penguins come too close to her trainer.

Monalisa

Gender

Female

As the oldest female penguin of our colony, Mona Lisa is a real diva. When she first arrived to Ski Dubai, she only wanted to eat two fish at the same time, though she quickly learned that one fish at a time is 'okay' too. Mona Lisa loves cleaning her feathers a lot, which is similar to you brushing your hair.

mr-Sim

Gender

Male

MrSim is one of our older Gentoo Penguin males and he is a pretty quiet one. But don't let the fact that he's quiet fool you, he is very smart and often tries to train his trainers. He is quite the womanizer, the Gentoo girls like his charm and he's actually a very good singer too.

Myone

Gender

Male

Myone is one of the penguins that arrived at Ski Dubai in January of 2014. Since his arrival, Myone has shown a big change in personality. He's slowly coming out of his shell, changing from a shy penguin into a more outgoing penguin. He swims a lot and enjoys being surrounded by other penguins.

Paul

Gender

Male

When Paul had just arrived in Ski Dubai, trainers called him 'Nippy' because of the way he eats his fish. He nips to grab the fish, then flaps it around a couple of times, and then eats it head first... He still does it! Paul usually spends a lot of time in the pool, but also spends a fair amount of time with his wife Bubbles.

Pebbles

Gender

Female

Pebbles is a quiet, lovely Gentoo penguin girl! She was named after the little girl 'Pebbles' from The Flintstones by the trainers and has an unstoppable sense of curiosity. She loves exploring, climbing, meeting new people and is usually the first one to confidently explore new situations or areas. She has a strong relationship with her trainers and likes to follow them around.

Pie

Gender

Female

Pie is probably the most eye-catching girl for the Gentoo Penguin boys as she's quite flirtatious. She feeds off her trainers energy and it just depends on how you approach her. If you are excited, she'll get excited too. Pie is also the most dominant female, and probably the most dominant Gentoo penguin in our colony, claiming her own spots. She loves playing with toys and 'water games' with her trainers.

Pumpkin

Gender

Male

Pumpkin is a very loyal and loving Gentoo Penguin. He is usually quite calm but gets very excited when he sees his trainers, and is always eager to do something new. Even when he's not hungry, he just enjoys being around his trainers. When they're in the area, he'll be right next to them!

Shella

Gender

Female

Out of the penguins who have arrived in January 2014, Shella is the fastest learner. Not only is she generally fast (running and swimming) but she's also very attentive. She naturally acts like a leader for other Gentoo Penguins, as she knows what she's doing. Others always seem comfortable following her as she radiates confidence.

Sneezy

Gender

Female

Sneezy is another Gentoo penguin girl, and is actually Mitty's sister, hatched only a day after her sister did. Sneezy was given her name due to the fact that she always sneezed a lot, but all penguins actually sneeze a lot! This is their way of getting rid of salt sea water from their nose (and no it's not snot). Sneezy is also very inquisitive, and is usually very persistent in whatever she's doing. She has to finish what she started before anything else and is probably the most vocal girl Gentoo Penguins.

Speedy

Gender

Male

Like his name says, Speedy is one of our fastest swimming penguins. He loves spending time in the pool, swimming fast, jumping out of the water, running around and then jumping back into the pool to swim again. He has a lot of energy, and his energy is usually contagious and makes other penguins speed up as well. Even though he's fast, he's actually also one of the 'chubbiest' Gentoo Penguins, but let's just say he's got a lot of muscles!

Squeaky

Gender:

Female

Squeaky has earned her name by constantly squeaking when she eats or even sees a fish. This 'squeaky' noise is usually a sound that chicks produce when they're asking their parents for fish, and most penguins grow out of this habit not long after their parents stop feeding them. Squeaky still does it though and she might never grow out of it!

Toby

Gender

Male

Toby also arrived in January of 2014. He is very inquisitive and feels most comfortable being close to his partner Gummy. Initially, he likes to wait and see if a situation is safe, but once he's familiar with a situation, he will actually show the others 'how to do it'! He also likes to eat snow and play with ice.

WallE

Gender

Male

WallE was called WallE because he loves to stare at walls! Anytime he sees a 'new' wall, he loves spending time exploring it. For him, it doesn't matter if it's a snow-wall, a fence, lights on a wall, picture panels or any other wall, he loves them all. WallE also loves spending time with his human friends as he's an incredibly loveable penguin.

Snow Penguins

The marching kings

Cooling off with a swim

Exercising the penguin way

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Are penguins birds?

A. Yes, penguins are birds. They have feathers, lay eggs and have forelimbs modified as wings, but in this case used for swimming. They also share all the other characteristics of birds, being warm-blooded (around 40oC) and having a reduced reproductive system (one functional ovary or testis).

Q. What do penguins eat?

A. The diet of penguins varies between species and in some cases, location. The species taken include a wide range of fish, squid, octopus and euphuists (shrimp-like animals). Some species of penguin target surface-schooling fish species while others are mid-water or bottom feeders.

Q. How long do penguins live for?

A. Most species have an average life expectancy of about 10-20 years in the wild and 15-25 under human care, although some individuals occasionally live for up to 30 years.

Q. Do all penguins live at the South Pole?

A. Not all penguins actually live at the South Pole, but two species do live on the edges of the Antarctic continent. The islands of the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic support the largest number of species; there are several species that live in temperate climates and one at the equator (the Galapagos penguin). No wild penguins live in the northern hemisphere.

Q. Do penguins fly?

A. No, penguins use their wings (called flippers) to propel themselves through water rather than air. Because water is much denser than air, penguin wings are shorter and stouter than the wings of flying birds. Penguins are also much heavier than similar sized flying birds and have solid bones rather than weight-saving air-filled bones. While these characteristics enable penguins to efficiently "fly" through water, they have had to sacrifice the ability to fly in air to do so.

Q. Do polar bears eat penguins?

A. No, penguins cleverly avoid being eaten by polar bears by living in separate hemispheres!.

Q. How many Gentoo and King Penguins live in the wild?

A. Estimated, more than 3 million King Penguins.
Estimated, more than half a million Gentoo Penguins.
Different sources say different things, but neither species is presently under threat.

Q. Are Gentoo and King Penguins endangered?

A. No, Gentoo and King Penguins are not endangered at this moment. If there would be an oil spill, or a disease outbreak in a major breeding area, this could change within 24 hours.
Gentoo Penguins are classified as 'Near Threatened', which means numbers of Penguin populations might be increasing on Antarctic Peninsula and South Sandwich Island, and might be decreasing on some islands.
King Penguins are classified as 'Least Concern', which means numbers of Penguin populations are stable or increasing.

Q. What does conservation has to do with penguins, and why is conservation important?

A. We hope that by experiencing this unique, close contact interaction with our penguins, people will get a better understanding and appreciation of these extraordinary species, but also to appreciate their wild counterparts. Conservation plays a very important role in this, because we would love for our children, grandchildren and great grand children to still be able to see Penguins, and all other wild animals that are part of conserving this planet.

Terms and Conditions

Do not book the program if you are aware that you have an infectious disease

Do not enter the water if you have had a gastro-intestinal infection within the last 48 hours

Remove all jewelry or watches prior to the encounter

Guests must follow the guidance/instructions of the trainer.

For your protection The Penguins Flotation Aids are available if required â€œPenguins are not flotation devices!â€�.

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Professor Penguin School Program

Snow penguins at Ski Dubai is dedicated to teaching youngsters and adults about the nature of this remarkable colony of Gentoo and King Penguins through engaging and interactive programs. This school program is the first experiential penguin encounter exhibit of its kind anywhere in the world. Students and their teachers will be given opportunity to be up-close with penguins swimming as they learn all about them in the fun and very unique professor Penguin School Program.

Professor Gentoo Penguin Program

Ages 6-9

Professor King Penguin Program

Ages 10-14

Programs

Minimum 20 Students- Maximum 50 Students
for every 10 kids, a teacher or chaperone joins the program for free! Price: 100 AED Duration: 45 minutes

Where do penguins live? Do penguins have five toes just like us? And what do penguins eat?

In an interactive classroom during the Professor Penguin encounter session, students will learn all of these fun facts abut Snow Penguins, their environment and much more!

Every student will get to be up close for a peek of the Snow Penguins at Ski Dubai actually swimming and playing underwater. During every Professor Penguin Program, the most promising students will be chosen to actually meet up-close and personal (and even touch!) one of the Snow Penguins at Ski Dubai's King or Gentoo penguins inside Ski Dubai's Snow Cave. Whether they meet McFatty, Squeaky, Pebbles, Pumpkin or any of the other twenty penguins in the colony, these lucky students will have a memory that will last a lifetime. By the end of the Professor Penguin School Program, we hope that each student and teacher will be so attached to their new feathered friends that they will want to learn more about these amazing birds and what they can do at school or home to actually help all wildlife and their environment.

Don't forget to play!

Upgrade your Professor Penguin Program to include a fun visit to Ski Dubai's Snow Park for only 75 AED per child.

Note: Students and teachers are not allowed to bring in cameras, cell phones or any loose items. Our Digiphoto team will take pictures of the visit, these pictures are available in specially priced school packages.